FIRST LESSON: HEBREWS 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and
their iniquities will I remember as more.
SECOND LESSON: LUKE 23:34
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they
do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
GOLDEN TEXT: MATTHEW 5:44
But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and
persecute you.
Introductory Song:
Forgive another if you want salvation.
Forgiveness, The Source Of Salvation:
Brethren, if the words of God were to have an end, this gospel
would rightly have been said to be the last of all gospels. It is indeed the
mother of all gospels and the key to the kingdom of God.
The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ would have been in vain,
both to Him and mankind, if He did not pray the Father to forgive His
persecutors. This symbolic act teaches that man should always forgive his
offenders. If somebody slaps you, steals your property, or lies against you, be
constant in praying to God to forgive such a fellow. Whatever anybody does to
you, be quick to pray for the Father's forgiveness for the person. The reason
is that, if you forgive another person, God will equally forgive you.
Who is that person whose sins and iniquities are forgiven and will
not be remembered by God? Who are those whose sins are not counted against them
by God? These are they who hold fast unto the key to the kingdom of God, the
key of forgiveness. No matter the magnitude of the error committed against you,
be constant, in season and out of season, to pray to God to forgive your
offenders.
If you desire to have salvation, if you desire that your sins be
forgiven, sincerely ask God to forgive your offenders. In other words, let such
a prayer come deep down from your heart, and it will so stand. When Stephen was
being stoned to death, before he gave up the ghost, he knelt down and prayed
God to forgive his enemies for they knew not what they did. Similarly, our Lord
Jesus Christ did not only teach the people to practice the gospel of
forgiveness, but He actually practiced it on the cross when He said, "Father,
forgive them for they know not what they do." Let that be your prayer at
all times. By virtue of your status as a child of God and your co-habitation
and interpersonal relationships with others, let those words form the
foundation of your approach or reaction to all adverse situations you
encounter.
No man can be justified upon his works; neither can anyone be
condemned by his weaknesses. The only point of your justification or
condemnation as the case may be is your willingness or refusal to forgive one
another. Whether your offender comes back to you with a repentant heart,
asking for forgiveness or not, be steadfast to forgive. Your conviction should
always be that, your offenders are ignorant of their deeds.
You stand to be free from any problem if you practice this gospel
and you shall secure your ticket into the kingdom of God. If you endeavor to
implement this doctrine or policy of forgiveness, you will have no cause to
quarrel or fight anybody. You will have no cause to take anybody to court, kill
or begrudge another person.
The scripture says that:
"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:10).
It is a doctrine that requires no procedure or any hard and fast
rules to practice. Be sincere in your prayer to God to forgive those who offend
you and that will be done. Therefore, once you pray for the forgiveness of
another person, God will, in turn, forgive you. The children of Israel wanted
to obtain justification through the law, that was why they stumbled and fell
but the Gentiles who sought for justification through grace obtained salvation.
It is said in the commandments: "thou shall not steal, thou
shall not commit adultery," and so on. If a person should obey all other
commandments but offends in one, such a person has offended in all. If the same
commandment that you should not resist an evildoer also says you should not
steal, do you not know that, if you do not steal but resist an evildoer, you
are guilty of both? The Law of Moses says that whoever kills with any
instrument commits murder and is worthy of death. Our Lord Jesus Christ came
with a different view of this commandment and said that "Whoever plans
evil against his brother is already guilty of murder and is worthy of
death."
The Mosaic Law states that for one to be guilty of adultery the
person must indulge in the very act. The commandment as amended by our Lord
Jesus Christ states that whoever looks at a woman lustfully is guilty of
adultery. Therefore, the moment you are angry with your brother or cast a
lustful eye upon your sister, you are guilty of murder and adultery
respectively. You stand equally condemned even if you have obeyed all the
commandments, except one.
The advent of our Lord Jesus Christ was to open the door that was
closed against His disciples and to set them free. The key our Lord Jesus
Christ used to unlock the door is forgiveness. And He had handed over this same
key to us as the source of salvation. To be able to have all your offenses
forgiven, you must forgive another person who offends you and impute no sins
upon anybody.
Illustration:
Once upon a time there lived a certain king who had a servant and
this servant owed the king some money. One day, the king invited the debtor and
requested him to redeem his indebtedness. The man pleaded insolvency and prayed
the king to have mercy upon him and give him more time. The king obliged and
let him off. On his way home, the man also met his debtor and instantly
confronted him demanding him to settle his debt.
Meanwhile, the money he was owed was far too meager compared to
the amount he owed the king. The man held his debtor by the neck and dragged
him all over the place disgracefully. When the information about the attitude
of this debtor towards another person owing him reached the king, he sent for
him (his debtor) and got him imprisoned. For not forgiving a fellow debtor like
him who even owed him a smaller amount, compared to his indebtedness to the
king, the man forfeited his forgiveness. Therefore, do unto others what you
would wish to be done to you.
The Israelites missed because of their refusal to practice this
gospel. The distance from Egypt to Canaan is not that much, but because of the
inability of the Israelites to obey the Lord and practice His gospel, it took
them over 40 years to get there. Ordinances, therefore, do no good to anyone.
This is so because whether or not you keep to the ordinances of any place, they
can still be turned against you. Note that, if you forgive one another the same
gesture will be extended to you.
If you were to know what constitutes sin, you would not hesitate
to forgive your offender. If you love only those who love you and hate those
that hate you, are you saved? Do you not know that whatever you do to another person,
you are directly doing it to yourself? When you free others you are freeing
yourself and if you curse or plan evil against another person, you are doing
the same to yourself.
God finds no pleasure upon the death of the wicked. That is why He
gives His grace unto those who care. For human beings the situation is
different because some people rejoice over other's misfortunes. By this
singular act, you are disobeying God's commandment. Read the first lesson
again.
FIRST LESSON: HEBREWS 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and
their iniquities will I remember no more.
The Great Promise:
The above passage by implication means that whoever forgives
another will be forgiven. You can have the boldness to pray to God for forgiveness
only if you forgive your offender, these forms the foundation of this New
Kingdom, the doctrine of forgiveness. This explains why Christ covenanted that
He shall be merciful to His people and their sins and iniquities shall He
remember no more. The pronouncement by our Lord Jesus Christ that the Father
should forgive His killers for they know not what they do closes the old
chapter of darkness and opened a new chapter of salvation unto mankind.
You get angry, hate your fellow man, and kill one another because
of your inability to forgive. If you plan evil against another person and pray
that he should be destroyed, the same destruction awaits you. The judgement you
pronounce against another person, the same binds you. Who is that man who will
have one sheep missing from his flock of hundred and he will not abandon the
ninety-nine to go searching for the lost sheep? The heavens feel the pain
anytime you oppress, curse, victimize, judge or do anything that causes others
to be distressed. What does it profit you if you refuse to forgive your
offenders? If you commit an offense and you are cast into prison, you are only
reaping what you sowed.
But if you are cast into prison for no reason or for the good you
did, the heavens will rejoice and your reward is great. If mankind should learn
to forgive one another, the world would by now, have been problem-free for the
grace of God would have been in abundance. If the habit of imputing sins upon
people would cause them misfortune, no one would have any cause to report or
complain about another person. This is the era for the children of God to
practice the word of God.
The word of God, though it may look like a mustard seed is the
source of man's salvation, and the gospel of forgiveness is the greatest of
all. Now, do you not know that if you point a finger at somebody the remaining
fingers point at you? Why is the world only calling Jesus, Jesus but cannot
practice His commandments? Salvation does not depend only on calling upon His
name but on practicing His words. He is the greatest teacher who teaches and
practices what He teaches. If you claim to be His disciple why are you not a
teacher too?
Whoever puts the words of God into practice the same is he that
worships God in Spirit and in Truth. Therefore, he who does not only teach
righteousness but practice is the true worshipper of God in Spirit and in
Truth. Whoever is not deceitful and does not allow evil communication to
proceed from his mouth, the same is the one who worships God in Spirit and in
Truth, and these are they whose sins and iniquities have been forgiven and
forgotten by God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "If your enemy is thirsty, give
him water to drink and if he is hungry, give him food to eat." But when
you impute sins upon another person are you not guilty of the same offense?
Read the second lesson again.
SECOND LESSON: LUKE 23:24
"Then said Jesus, `Father forgive them for they know not what
they do.' And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."
Always Forgive:
Under what condition or state of mind did Christ make the above
statement? Was it when all was well with Him and when He was dining with His
disciples? Was it when all or when His people fell down and worshipped Him
loved him? Was it when His property was stolen or when His wife was seduced?
Far be it. He made this plea when He was facing an awkward predicament on the
cross. Who can make such a statement in such a state? He had the power to kill
His killers or do what He pleased to them but He did not. Instead, He prayed
the Father to forgive them.
This gospel reveals the secret of the power in Brotherhood of the
Cross and Star. Here, there is no fighting, no hatred, and no imputing of sins
upon anyone. In life Brotherhood of the Cross and Star has never suspended or
excommunicated any person. My eyes neither behold any sins or unrighteous
things. I hold the same belief like the other thief on the cross who accepted
his iniquities and his fate and asked the Lord to remember him in His kingdom.
If you are indeed a thief, a murderer, an idolater, a fornicator among others,
then you have no cause to be angry.
Why do you have to fume when you are called a sinner when indeed,
you are one? Christ even advised every man to admit that he is a sinner before
He uses His blood to cleanse him (the sinner). Remember the story of the
publican and the Pharisee at prayer to God. The Pharisee extolled himself and
paid himself tributes but the Publican quietly prayed almost inaudibly to any
other person, presenting himself as a woeful sinner of no worth. Then, he
obtained God's grace because of his humility.
The Bible says that whoever humbles himself will be exalted but
whoever exalts himself shall be abased. Who is the person that humbles himself?
He is the person who sees himself as a sinner. Who is the person who exalts
himself? He is the person who is full of himself and considers himself
righteous. It is therefore, because you regard yourself as a righteous man,
that you impute sins upon another person and continue in sin.
Any person who sees himself as a sinner does not impute sins upon
another and does not condemn anybody, no matter what any person may do to him.
For that reason, Christ said, for judgement I am come into the world, that
they, which see not, might see; and that they, which see, might be made blind.
And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words,
and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Jesus said unto them, if ye were blind, ye should have no sin but
now ye say, 'We see,' therefore your sin remaineth." (St. John 9:39-41).
Can you see why man's sins have remained with him up till today?
Therefore, all those who refuse to forgive are the ones who claim
to be holy and righteous. Can a thief catch a thief? Can a murderer condemn a
murderer? This explains why the scripture says that there is no
righteous man on earth. Rather, any man born of woman is pregnant with sins and
iniquities. It is because of the sinful state of man that God
instructed Abraham that a ritual (circumcision) should be performed upon any
first male child born of a woman for the purpose of purification.
The reason John the Baptist was instructed to baptize with water
was that many may repent and be pure. Man had been so filthy and so his baptism
with water was to serve as a purification measure. When that
lawyer said to Christ, "good teacher what shall I do to have eternal
life," Christ told him that, "there is no one that is good except
God." Now that you claim to be good, what will God regard
you as? Why did Christ not order that the woman who was caught in adultery be
stoned to death? You may recall the significant thing which He did. He stooped
down and recorded down the sins of each of the accusers and then ordered anyone
amongst them who thought himself to be righteous to cast the first stone at the
woman. At this juncture, they rather departed one after the other. That was a
clear indication that there is no righteous man on earth. Did
you not know that if you impute sins upon another person, you are also
condemning yourself? This gospel teaches love, peace, prosperity and the
ability to practice every other sermon. If the entire world were to know the
efficacy of this gospel and practice the same, mankind would live a
problem-free life. The scripture has instructed everyone to first of all remove
the scale from his eyes so that he may be able to remove a speck from his
brother's eyes. If you paint your face with charcoal or black powder, would you
know how you look like except you stand before a mirror? When you are well
dressed and stand before a mirror would you not view your appearance
differently? Read the golden text below:
GOLDEN TEXT: MATTHEW 5:44
But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despiteful use you and
persecute you.
The Essence of Forgiveness
The above passage constitutes the binding duty to be discharged by
everybody. The only way to obtain salvation is to practice this gospel. Every
man is at "the other side of the sea" because of iniquities. Our Lord
Jesus Christ is the only person who has been able to cross over to "the
other side of the sea," (that of salvation) and He has given us the
foundation for crossing. Your persistence in sins and claim for holiness stand
between you and the kingdom of God. There is a local adage, which says that a
child that prevents the mother from sleeping in the night must also stay awake.
Once upon a time, there lived a certain Bishop who presented
himself as true man of God and made people to believe so. When he died, the
people strongly believed that he was on his way for eternal rest after a
meritorious service. When the corpse was taken for burial at the graveside he
tapped from inside the coffin, causing the people to run for fear. A few people
summed up courage and went back and opened the coffin to see that the man was
back to life. He ordered that he should be taken back to the church. In the
church, he asked the congregation whether they knew why he came back. Nobody
knew. The Bishop told the people in the church that, beyond the world, people
are divided into two groups the believers and the unbelievers. That when he
attempted as a Bishop with his Bible and garment to join the group of
believers, the usher warned him not to join the group for he was not pure. It
was explained to him that he bore people malice had imputed sins upon people
and had been indulging in other vices. The Bishop said then that the agony of
going to join the group of unbelievers caused him to take the option of coming
back to the world. The Bishop spent more than three (3) weeks to reconcile with
his enemies and adversaries.
This is a great lesson for all. DO NOT TAKE YOUR EXISTANCE AS ON
OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE WEALTH OR ANY MATERIAL THING, BUT AS A CHANCE TO REPENT
AND BE SAVED. If God were to impute sins upon man, would any
person survive? If God had not turned His face against our iniquities, who
would be saved? Your parents, your wife, child or money are not the things that
will debar you from entering into the kingdom of God but your refusal to
forgive your transgressors.
MATTHEW 5:42 states:
"Give to him that asketh thee, and from that would borrow of
these turn not thou away."
If you fail in this responsibility then you are a failure. When
Peter asked the Lord how many times his brother would offend him and he
forgives him, whether seven times, Christ said, "Not seven times but seven
times seventy times." In other words, continue to forgive your offenders as many times
as they offend. If you impute sins upon another, then you have
brought to nought the precious blood, which Christ shed for the world.
By imputing sins upon another person, you have condemned such a
person.
NOTE THAT IT IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO JUDGE OR AVENGE. IT IS GOD'S
PREROGATIVE TO JUDGE OR AVENGE. NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS OR HOLY ENOUGH TO JUDGE,
NOT EVEN THE ANGELS.
Endeavor to be your brother's keeper and know that whatever you do
to one person anywhere in the world affects you too. If you pray God to forbid
any bad thing from happening to you, and that God should take evil away from
your present location and send such evil to distant places, are your brethren
not living at the place you want the evil to be transferred to? Is that not a
manifestation of selfishness and ignorance? All the people the world over,
whether in America, India, Britain or Africa, are your brethren and their
problems should be yours.
Take for instance, if, as a trader, you obtain some goods on
credit to sell and you promise to pay the money back but you instead renege on
your promise and you help yourself with the profit. For this reason a thief
steals those goods, and so the problem becomes cyclical. That is so because the
wholesaler from whom the retailer obtained the goods might have bought on
credit from the manufacturer who must have obtained a loan from the bank to
carry on the business. The bank too will be affected. Every person therefore
would ultimately be affected from that theft. Can you see now why it is
necessary that you show to love your enemies and pray for those who
despitefully use you?
May God bless His Holy words. Amen.
THANK YOU FATHER.
FATHER'S SERMON DELIVERED ON THURSDAY 21/7/91
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